The Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiency (CREATE) program and partners are pleased to announce the "GET ON BOARD" Business-to-Business Exchange on October 16, 2013 from 9 a.m. to noon at The FordChicago Assembly Plant, 126th at Torrence Avenue in Chicago.
This CREATE business networking event will connect rail industry executives, government transportation agency heads, and prime contractors with disadvantaged, minority, and women owned firms seeking contracting and sub-contracting opportunities in engineering, design, construction, and support services with CREATE and other rail projects planned for Illinois.
CREATE is a first-of-its-kind partnership between U.S. DOT, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads. A project of national significance, CREATE will need to invest $3.8 billion in critically needed improvements to increase the efficiency of freight, commuter and intercity passenger rail, reduce highway delay in the Chicago region, enhance the quality of life for Chicago-area residents, and mitigate the rail traffic snarls that thwart the economic vitality of the region and threaten our long-standing position as the transportation hub of the nation. In addition to CREATE, Illinois is receiving more than $1.3 billion in federal capital monies, matched by a commitment of about $180 million in state funds, to build a high speed passenger rail network that will connect Chicago to St. Louis and intermediate cities. The current project will reduce travel times by one hour, and planning is under way for additional improvements.
Please mark your calendars to come meet with industry leaders and government decision-makers to explore upcoming business contracting and procurement opportunities in the rail industry.
If you are a certified and experienced DBE/MBE/WBE, please make sure you visit www.createprogram.org for more information about the CREATE program and to sign up for the procurement email distribution list.
For registration, please click http://apps.dot.illinois.gov/ActiveCalendar/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=203&information_id=546&type=&
For all other questions, please email: DOT.CH.GetOnBoard@Illinois.Gov

published:02 Oct 2013

views:233

The state of Illinois is working with railroads and other levels of government to reduce freight rail congestion in Chicago, which handles a fourth of the nation's freight rail traffic.

published:23 May 2011

views:533

When it comes to moving goods, metropolitan Chicago is a freight powerhouse. Six of the seven largest U.S. railroads operate in the region, managing 50 percent of all rail movement in the country. Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the nation’s fifth-busiest cargo mover, linked by an extensive network of roads and waterways. Chicago does not just move goods, it also makes them: The region’s locational advantage for freight helps drive a strong manufacturing sector that gained jobs faster than the national average over the last two years.
Chicago must continue to support the Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiencyProgram (CREATE), a partnership between federal, state and local governments, metropolitan transportation agencies, and the nation’s freight railroads. When CREATE was formed in 2000, Chicago was known as the bottleneck of the nation’s rail system. While the amount of rail traffic continues to grow, infrastructure investments by CREATE, matched by those of the rail industry, have reduced both passenger and freight train delays by nearly 30 percent.
There’s more to do if Chicago is to maintain its position as the epicenter of the nation’s rail system and the 36,000 jobs created by that status: Billions of dollars in additional funding are still needed for the rest of the projects. Moderated by Wes Lujan from Union Pacific Railroad, this roundtable will discuss freight's role in growing the economy and show the benefits of CREATE. Speakers will include:
Cook County Board PresidentToni PreckwinkleIll. Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook)
Jeffrey Sriver, Director of Transportation Planning and Programming, Chicago Dept. of TransportationAudrey Wennink, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) (invited)

published:18 Nov 2014

views:513

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) has recognized the Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiency (CREATE) P1 – Englewood Flyover project with its 2016 Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence. The Hay Award, AREMA’s highest honor, recognizes innovative railway engineering procedures, projects and products. TranSystems served as the lead designer on the project.
The CREATE P1 - Englewood Flyover is the first major project to be constructed for the CREATE program, which was initiated to reduce the rail congestion that plagues Chicago. Before construction, the Englewood Interlocking railroad crossing handled 80 Metra trains crossing 46 Norfolk Southern freight trains and 14 Amtrak passenger trains each day. By constructing a 2,100-foot long triple track flyover bridge, the Interlocking crossing was eliminated alleviating congestion, expediting rail traffic flow, and improving safety and air quality.

published:16 Sep 2016

views:166

Jennifer Hirsch, an applied anthropologist from Chicago, discusses the framework of "collaborative governance" for thinking about models and outcomes of community engagement for behavior change and sustainable community-building. Through case studies of climate action partnerships, she reveals a variety of ways in which local government can work together with communities to develop and implement projects that simultaneously advance regional and community goals. To learn more about the Garrison Institute's Climate, Mind & BehaviorInitiative:
Visit our website: https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/climate-and-behavior
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/climatemind

The webinar will discuss research undertaken by SSTI on the social costs created by urban freight transportation and the freight transportation demand management strategies that cities are using to better balance their freight transportation needs and sustainability goals.
Tom Murtha, Senior Planner at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning will present. He will be joined by BillHolloway and Chris Spahr from SSTI, authors of the study.

Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program

The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) is a $3.2 billion project to improve the efficiency of the rail network in the Chicago area by building, amongst other things, flyovers to separate rail traffic on conflicting lines. While the need is fairly clear, finance for the project is stalled in the United States Congress.

Problems

The tracks and junctions in the Chicago area have grown with little coordination between the railroads and the city since the first railroads arrived in the 1830s. There are a large number of at-grade crossings, sometimes not located a train length apart which is a problem as train lengths have grown. Some flyovers exist but do not always have sufficient clearance for tall or double-stack trains. Some connections that would create short cuts for traffic are missing. There are also many highway crossings at grades.

The congestion in the Chicago area is predicted to lead to severe disruption by the late 2010s without the completion of the CREATE program.

Chicago metropolitan area

The Chicago metropolitan area, or Chicagoland, is the metropolitan area associated with the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its suburbs. It is the area that is closely linked to the city through geographic, social, economic, and cultural ties.

Definitions

Metropolitan statistical area

The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It consisted of the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined as the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the third largest MSA by population in the United States with a population of 9,554,598 (2014 estimate).

Although today the state's largest population center is around Chicago in the northern part of the state, the state's European population grew first in the west, with French Canadians who settled along the Mississippi River, and gave the area the name, Illinois. After the American Revolutionary War established the United States, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. In 1818, Illinois achieved statehood. After construction of the Erie Canal increased traffic and trade through the Great Lakes, Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the banks of the Chicago River, at one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake Michigan.John Deere's invention of the self-scouring steel plow turned Illinois' rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. Railroads carried immigrants to new homes, as well as being used to ship their commodity crops out to markets.

GET ON BOARD October 16th Event Preview (CREATE Program)

The Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiency (CREATE) program and partners are pleased to announce the "GET ON BOARD" Business-to-Business Exchange on October 16, 2013 from 9 a.m. to noon at The FordChicago Assembly Plant, 126th at Torrence Avenue in Chicago.
This CREATE business networking event will connect rail industry executives, government transportation agency heads, and prime contractors with disadvantaged, minority, and women owned firms seeking contracting and sub-contracting opportunities in engineering, design, construction, and support services with CREATE and other rail projects planned for Illinois.
CREATE is a first-of-its-kind partnership between U.S. DOT, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads. A project of national significance, CREATE will need to invest $3.8 billion in critically needed improvements to increase the efficiency of freight, commuter and intercity passenger rail, reduce highway delay in the Chicago region, enhance the quality of life for Chicago-area residents, and mitigate the rail traffic snarls that thwart the economic vitality of the region and threaten our long-standing position as the transportation hub of the nation. In addition to CREATE, Illinois is receiving more than $1.3 billion in federal capital monies, matched by a commitment of about $180 million in state funds, to build a high speed passenger rail network that will connect Chicago to St. Louis and intermediate cities. The current project will reduce travel times by one hour, and planning is under way for additional improvements.
Please mark your calendars to come meet with industry leaders and government decision-makers to explore upcoming business contracting and procurement opportunities in the rail industry.
If you are a certified and experienced DBE/MBE/WBE, please make sure you visit www.createprogram.org for more information about the CREATE program and to sign up for the procurement email distribution list.
For registration, please click http://apps.dot.illinois.gov/ActiveCalendar/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=203&information_id=546&type=&
For all other questions, please email: DOT.CH.GetOnBoard@Illinois.Gov

2:04

Chicago freight rail improvements (CREATE)

Chicago freight rail improvements (CREATE)

Chicago freight rail improvements (CREATE)

The state of Illinois is working with railroads and other levels of government to reduce freight rail congestion in Chicago, which handles a fourth of the nation's freight rail traffic.

1:17:42

MPC Roundtable—CREATE: Freight Driving the Economy

MPC Roundtable—CREATE: Freight Driving the Economy

MPC Roundtable—CREATE: Freight Driving the Economy

When it comes to moving goods, metropolitan Chicago is a freight powerhouse. Six of the seven largest U.S. railroads operate in the region, managing 50 percent of all rail movement in the country. Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the nation’s fifth-busiest cargo mover, linked by an extensive network of roads and waterways. Chicago does not just move goods, it also makes them: The region’s locational advantage for freight helps drive a strong manufacturing sector that gained jobs faster than the national average over the last two years.
Chicago must continue to support the Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiencyProgram (CREATE), a partnership between federal, state and local governments, metropolitan transportation agencies, and the nation’s freight railroads. When CREATE was formed in 2000, Chicago was known as the bottleneck of the nation’s rail system. While the amount of rail traffic continues to grow, infrastructure investments by CREATE, matched by those of the rail industry, have reduced both passenger and freight train delays by nearly 30 percent.
There’s more to do if Chicago is to maintain its position as the epicenter of the nation’s rail system and the 36,000 jobs created by that status: Billions of dollars in additional funding are still needed for the rest of the projects. Moderated by Wes Lujan from Union Pacific Railroad, this roundtable will discuss freight's role in growing the economy and show the benefits of CREATE. Speakers will include:
Cook County Board PresidentToni PreckwinkleIll. Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook)
Jeffrey Sriver, Director of Transportation Planning and Programming, Chicago Dept. of TransportationAudrey Wennink, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) (invited)

2:58

CREATE P1 - AREMA Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence Winner

CREATE P1 - AREMA Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence Winner

CREATE P1 - AREMA Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence Winner

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) has recognized the Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiency (CREATE) P1 – Englewood Flyover project with its 2016 Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence. The Hay Award, AREMA’s highest honor, recognizes innovative railway engineering procedures, projects and products. TranSystems served as the lead designer on the project.
The CREATE P1 - Englewood Flyover is the first major project to be constructed for the CREATE program, which was initiated to reduce the rail congestion that plagues Chicago. Before construction, the Englewood Interlocking railroad crossing handled 80 Metra trains crossing 46 Norfolk Southern freight trains and 14 Amtrak passenger trains each day. By constructing a 2,100-foot long triple track flyover bridge, the Interlocking crossing was eliminated alleviating congestion, expediting rail traffic flow, and improving safety and air quality.

Jennifer Hirsch, an applied anthropologist from Chicago, discusses the framework of "collaborative governance" for thinking about models and outcomes of community engagement for behavior change and sustainable community-building. Through case studies of climate action partnerships, she reveals a variety of ways in which local government can work together with communities to develop and implement projects that simultaneously advance regional and community goals. To learn more about the Garrison Institute's Climate, Mind & BehaviorInitiative:
Visit our website: https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/climate-and-behavior
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/climatemind

TDM measures to reduce the impact of urban freight movement

The webinar will discuss research undertaken by SSTI on the social costs created by urban freight transportation and the freight transportation demand management strategies that cities are using to better balance their freight transportation needs and sustainability goals.
Tom Murtha, Senior Planner at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning will present. He will be joined by BillHolloway and Chris Spahr from SSTI, authors of the study.

1:13:23

Developing and Implementing Policies to Address Water Challenges

Developing and Implementing Policies to Address Water Challenges

Developing and Implementing Policies to Address Water Challenges

This event was the second session of the 2016 U.S.–ChinaForum at the University of Chicago.
The US-China Forum is sponsored by the China-United StatesExchangeFoundation in collaboration with the University of Chicago. The annual forum brings together renowned experts—including faculty from the University of Chicago and scholars from China—for high-level engagement focused on issues of importance to both countries and, by extension, the world. It is intended to spur long-term research collaborations between Chinese and University of Chicago researchers. The 2016 program focused on water and urban development and was hosted by the Institute for MolecularEngineering at the University of Chicago.

46:51

Funding Process for Transportation Projects

Funding Process for Transportation Projects

Funding Process for Transportation Projects

This webinar discusses how a community can get funding for transportation projects, where the money comes from, and what is eligible to be a funded project. We also will cover the new addition to the process, which is quarterly tracking and the reports that go along with tracking.
Communities in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte county, employee in responsible charge (ERC), local public agency's (LPA), clerk treasurers, and anyone interested in getting road projects funded should listen.
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South ShoreClean Cities manages the Northwest IndianaGreenFleet program for our local Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Northwestern IndianaRegional PlanningCommission (NIRPC). The goal of the program is to significantly improve the environmental performance of business and government vehicle fleets across the region (Lake, Porter, and LaPorte) through diesel retrofits and other strategies.
NIRPC is a regional council of local governments serving the three counties of Northwest Indiana. The NorthwestIndiana region is an integral part of the greater Chicago metropolitan area. NIRPC provides a forum that enables the residents of Northwest Indiana to address regional issues relating to transportation, the environment and community and economic development. NIRPC is the voice of regionalism in Northwestern Indiana, and a developer of consensus-backed solutions.

$1.2BillionAward will Fund Chicago to St. LouisCorridor; Create 6,000 Jobs
CHICAGO January 29, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. SenatorDick Durbin kicked off a series of announcements in Chicago today to discuss details about Illinois $1.2 billion federal award to bring high-speed passenger rail service to Illinois by 2014. Illinois is among only three states to receive at least $1 billion for high-speed passenger rail, which will make the trip between Chicago and St. Louis faster than driving and will provide new train equipment.
RAWAUDIO: Governor says Illinois getting $1.2 billion for high speed rail
Illinois was one of only three states in the country to receive over $1 billion for high speed rail. We appreciate the confidence of President Obama to bring high-speed rail to Illinois, said Governor Quinn. Thanks to hard work and perseverance, our vision to have Illinois serve as the nations high speed rail hub is becoming a reality, bringing jobs and economic growth to our communities.
The Obama Administration announced the competitive awards Thursday as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) program. The investment from the federal government is expected to create approximately 6,000 jobs in Illinois. Illinois received the third largest award among 31 states chosen to share in the $8 billion made available nationwide for high-speed passenger rail. Thirty-seven states applied for funding.
Investing $1.2 billion into improving our rail system is going to mean more jobs jobs for today and jobs for the future, said Senator Durbin. Todays announcement assures that Chicago, already a major rail hub of the nation, will soon become the major high-speed rail hub of the Midwest and nation.
"Today, President Obama's vision is bringing high-speed rail to Illinois and the rest of the United States," said U.S.Secretary of TransportationRay LaHood. "This groundbreaking program will put many people back to work in Chicago and across the country, and it will also help transform transportation for the entire Midwest region."
Illinois high-speed rail signature route, Chicago to St. Louis, will receive $1.1 billion for corridor improvements. Improvements to this 284 mile route will allow passenger rail service to operate at speeds up to 110 mph, reducing the total trip time from Chicago to St. Louis by over an hour. The improvements include an overhaul of track, signal systems and existing stations as well as the implementation of state-of-the-art train control technology that will improve train safety. In addition, Illinois will receive $1.25 million to complete an environmental impact study for a second track along the same route.
The award for Illinois includes $133 million to build the Englewood Flyover on Chicagos South Side, a Chicago Region Environmental and TransportationEfficiency (CREATE) project which will clear one of the largest rail bottlenecks in the nation. The improvement will eliminate significant delays for commuter trains, Amtrak trains and freight trains.
This is great news for Illinois and the Midwest, said Transportation SecretaryGary Hannig. I commend President Obama, Governor Quinn, Senator Durbin and the entire Midwest region for their leadership and commitment through a long and competitive process. I also want to express my gratitude to the staff at the Illinois Department of Transportation who have remained focused and dedicated on efforts to make high-speed passenger rail a reality in Illinois.
Thanks to multi-state steering group formed by Governor Quinn, Illinois will benefit from awards to several other neighboring states that make up the Chicago Hub Network. The region received a total of $2.6 billion more than any other regional network. The network is designed to connect cities throughout the region to Chicago with reliable high-speed and conventional intercity rail service.
The FederalRailroadAdministration (FRA) received 259 grant applications from 37 states and the District of Columbia requesting nearly $57 billion in funding far exceeding the initial $8 billion available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In total, 79 applications from 31 States were selected for funding.
For more information on the awards to Illinois and the other Midwestern states for high-speed rail, go to MidwestRail.org.